Meanwhile, in the main chamber of the palace, Maharaja Hirday was comfortably asleep in his bedchamber.
He felt completely secure, knowing that the Golden Karkaj's attack and the final declaration of the blood bond had created immense mental pressure on Sunlite. He assumed Sunlite was sitting helplessly in her chamber, crying, and preparing herself for tomorrow's wedding.
A cold, satisfied smile was on the face of the deeply sleeping Hirday. He did not know that while he slept, his Queen had not only destroyed her key to freedom, but was now searching in the depths of the palace for the path that would permanently sever the blood bond.
Queen Alisa's diary was now reduced to a few piles of ashes. All the secrets, symbols, and vague promises of freedom inside it were forever destroyed in the flame of the vault's torch.
Sunlite and Lisa stared at the ashes for a while. There was no path before them now, no evidence. They had no more clues. Standing in the face of this extreme emptiness and imminent danger, Sunlite suddenly began to laugh.
The laugh was stifled, almost hysterical. It was not a laugh of helplessness, but a symbol of being ready to challenge destiny anew.
Lisa was surprised at first, but quickly joined in the laughter. Their suppressed laughter gently echoed off the stone walls of the Vault.
They laughed because:
Release from Fear: They managed to destroy the Maharaja's most suspicious object (the diary). Hirday would no longer be able to use it as evidence.
Rejection of Destiny: They felt like they had chosen their own fate—no more diaries or future would show them the way.
When the laughter stopped, Sunlite looked at Lisa. There was a new, steady resolve in her eyes.
"Come on, Lisa," Sunlite whispered. "Our work is done. Now let him believe that we have surrendered."
They quickly extinguished the lantern's light. Navigating in the dark, they silently made their way back through the secret passage. As they climbed the stairs, the sight of the empty Vault and the burning of the diary still lingered in their minds.
They slightly opened the slab behind the statue and made sure the corridor was empty. Then both of them quickly entered the corridor and closed the statue's slab with a loud thud.
Now it was time to return. Lisa quickly took a different path so no guard would see the two of them together.
Sunlite returned to her chamber silently. The damp smell of the old corridor still clung to her body.
She sat on the bed. It was the last part of the night outside, and the dawn light would soon break. In a little while, her formal wedding would begin, which would be the symbol of her lifelong servitude.
She knows that the key to breaking the blood bond now depends solely on Maharaja Hirday's willful rejection. But she would not wait any longer.
Sunlite was now ready for her final war.
When the first light of dawn entered Sunlite's chamber through the window, she was sitting steadily on the bed. After last night's destruction of the diary and witnessing the Maharaja's brutality, Sunlite was now completely different. The fear inside her was gone; now she was a free, determined woman. There was a strange peace in her eyes—not the peace of surrender, but the peace of starting anew after losing everything. She seemed to have found freedom from the fear of the blood bond.
Soon, there was a gentle knock on the door.
"Queen?" a female voice was heard.
Pushing the door open, a new maid entered, not Lisa, whose eyes were swollen and red. She had probably been crying recently.
"Queen, Queen," the maid said while crying, her voice choked with fear.
Sunlite looked at her calmly. "What happened? Why are you crying?"
The maid lowered her head and said, "Queen... the Maharaja... the Maharaja is not well."
Sunlite was stunned for a moment. The smile on her lips was still there, but it faded away upon hearing this news.
"What are you saying?" Sunlite asked. "What do you mean, the King is not well?"
The maid said with a trembling voice, "He has had a fever since dawn. He is losing consciousness, and the light of his Nexus Crystal in his body is fading out. Even the Royal Physicians are scared. No one understands what is happening."
Sunlite's eyes widened. The light of the Maharaja's Nexus Crystal was fading out!
What did this mean? After losing his authority, was this the beginning of the collapse of his life force? Such an illness in the King of the Nexus Empire meant death.
Sunlite quickly stood up. All her resolve and anger inside her mixed together at that moment. She wanted to rush towards the Maharaja's chamber.
But just then, something fell loudly to the floor from her hand.
She looked at her hand. She had been holding a locket all this time, which Maharaja Hirday had gifted her the first time in the Nexus Chamber. It was the symbol of their formal relationship. It was a small, valuable item inscribed with the symbol of the Maharaja's power.
The locket fell from Sunlite's hand to the floor. As it hit the iron floor, it instantly shattered into pieces.
Sunlite stared at the broken locket.
A silent declaration resonated in her heart: The bond is about to be severed. Hirday had not rejected her willingly, but his weakness and downfall might be breaking the blood bond. The shattering of the locket was the ultimate symbol of their broken relationship and the collapse of Maharaja Hirday.
Sunlite composed herself. Her current task was not to stand by the Maharaja in his final moments, but to take advantage of his weakness and seize the throne and leadership of the Nexus Empire—so that no King would ever dare to create such a blood bond again.
"Where is he?" Sunlite asked the maid in a hard voice. "Take me to the Maharaja."
"Where is he?" There was no longer any emotion in Sunlite's voice, only hard authority. "Take me to the Maharaja."
The crying maid nodded, trembling with fear, and quickly ran towards the door to lead the way.
Sunlite prepared herself to go to the Maharaja's chamber. She was still wearing her gown, the same attire from the night of the festival, but now it was the new symbol of her rebellion.
She quickly left the room and started running, following the maid.
Sunlite's sprint was a terrifyingly beautiful sight:
Attire and Ground Contact: The edge of her gown was dragging against the floor, creating a slight rustle or sound. But her speed was unstoppable.
Open Hair: Her thick, black hair was so long that it flew in the air over her back, carried by the speed of her run. This seemed like a manifestation of her unbridled, free power.
Blue Eyes: Her eyes held an intense gaze that was not looking at the maid in front of her, but at her destiny.
Sunlite ran towards the Maharaja's chamber; the palace floor seemed to tremble with every step. There was no doubt in her mind at this moment—she was not going to save him; she was going to stand at the source of his blood bond and declare her freedom.
When she reached the door of the Maharaja's private chamber, there was chaos inside the room as well. The Royal Physicians were scurrying about, their faces etched with deep concern.
The maid looked at Sunlite with fearful eyes and stepped aside.
Sunlite entered the chamber.
Maharaja Hirday was lying on his immense bed. His face was pale, and sweat was pooling in the creases of his forehead. As his body's Nexus Crystal faded, his entire body seemed to be rapidly weakening.
The Chief Advisor and the Physicians stood beside him, all bewildered.
Sunlite advanced directly to the bedside. Hirday had his eyes closed, but he seemed to sense Sunlite's arrival.
"Queen?" Hirday called out in a weak voice. His tone held weakness, but a final residue of that old authority.
Sunlite looked at him. There was no sympathy in her eyes. She knew that the person lying in front of her was the binder.
Sunlite now made her final move.
Sunlite paused as she approached Maharaja Hirday's bedside. The Physicians and Advisors moved slightly aside for the Queen. The atmosphere in the chamber was heavy; this was not just a power struggle, but a life-or-death battle.
Sunlite leaned closer. She saw Hirday lying with his eyes closed. His face was soaked in sweat, and his Nexus Crystal—which had always been a symbol of blazing power—was now only a dull, gray stone. All his arrogance, all his ruthlessness seemed to have vanished in an instant. Now he was just a weak, sick man.
Witnessing this scene, all of Sunlite's rage, desire for revenge, and the fire of rebellion seemed to extinguish in a moment. The blood bond, the humiliation, the destruction of the diary—everything was overshadowed by an intense, deep agony.
Sunlite could no longer hold herself back.
Her eyes filled with tears. Warm, pearl-like teardrops streamed down her cheeks toward her neck. She started to cry rapidly and loudly.
She grasped Hirday's hand, trembling. That hand, which had forcibly imprisoned her, which he had used to strangle the two advisors, was now cold and weak.
"What happened to you?" Sunlite sobbed, her voice full of intense love and fear. "What happened to you? Why did you do this? You are the... you are the binder. You are everything! Tell me this!"
Everyone in the room was stunned by her tears, her desperate plea. The Chief Advisors exchanged glances.
It was then that Lisa saw the scene from the doorway. She hadn't dared to enter the Maharaja's chamber immediately, but she had come closer upon hearing the Queen's sobs.
Lisa stared, astonished. Her eyes widened. All her beliefs, all her assumptions, shattered. Why was this Queen, who had waged a lifelong war against the Maharaja, who had rebelled despite the fear of death, crying so intensely at the Maharaja's plight?
There was no doubt left in Lisa's mind. All her confusion vanished.
Lisa whispered to herself, her face showing a shadow of disbelief: "What kind of rebellion is this? This is love. Even after so much hatred and humiliation... Sunlite has truly fallen in love with the King!"
Maharaja Hirday slowly opened his eyes. He saw Sunlite's tears. A faint, weak smile mixed with extreme astonishment appeared on his face. He wanted to speak, but couldn't.
Sunlite was still crying; her tears were not just for her own freedom, but for that bond woven with hatred and love.